


Down a Peg

by tptigger



Category: Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: Gen, background Tommy/Hayley, because reasons, cameos by Justin and Jason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 20:25:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1831129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tptigger/pseuds/tptigger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The teenage Dino Thunder Rangers have graduated and it's time they got to know Tommy as a person instead of just their mentor and teacher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Down a Peg

Conner pulled the pasta salad that Eric had helped him make out of the back seat. Ethan grabbed his two bags of chips.

A white station wagon pulled up next to Conner's red sports car.

"Old habits die hard," Conner said as Kira and Trent got out of the car. "You're right on time."

"It's polite even if Dr. O can't make us run laps or give us detention anymore," Trent pointed out.

Kira opened the back door, extracted a veggie tray and handed it to Trent, then removed two pans of brownies from the back seat.

Ethan looked over the food in everyone's hands. "I think we're too used to having our Ranger powers, no way that six of us are going to eat all this food."

"So, backyard?" Conner asked.

"It's really weird not going to the basement." Ethan led the way around the corner of the house. "I mean, it probably needs to be cleaned up something fierce. I'm surprised Dr. O hasn't called us in to help clean up."

"He probably wanted to give you guys a break," said an unfamiliar young man in a blue Mariner Bay University t-shirt sitting on the back stoop. He had spiky, dark hair and was grinning at them.

"Um, hi?" Kira said, shifting uneasily. "We didn't know Dr. O had visitors."

The man shook his head. "Leave it to Tommy to forget to tell you guys that. I'm Justin Stewart, the Blue Turbo Ranger."

Conner frowned. "You're not that much older than us? Wouldn't you have been active..."

"When I was twelve."

"Where's Dr. O?" Trent asked. His lips were pursed in concern.

"He ran to the store," Justin said. "He forgot to get ice. I've got the grill about ready. I don't know why he wouldn't just let me go."

Hayley came out of the screen door. "So that he could pick up whatever else he forgot?" She looked at the dishes that Dino Thunder Rangers were holding. "Anything need refrigeration? If not, you can dump it on the picnic table."

Kira, Trent, and Ethan set down their things.

"Mayonnaise needs to be refrigerated, right?" Conner asked.

Justin answered by standing up and making a sweeping gesture in the direction of the kitchen.

Conner stepped inside, put the pasta salad in the fridge, and then popped back out before he could miss anything.

"So what brings you to Reefside, Justin?" Ethan asked conversationally.

"Tommy mentioned that he was having a barbecue so he could talk to you guys without having to censor himself because he was your teacher. I figured that unless someone who knew him way back wasn't around, he'd skip over all the juicy stuff."

"You just want revenge on Tommy for when he met your last girlfriend." Hayley smiled widely.

"He showed her pictures of my bowl cut, Hayley!" Justin was blushing at the thought.

"It was cute," said another voice from around the corner of the house.

"Don't even start, Jason." Justin flopped his chin onto a hand.

"Guys, this is Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger," Hayley said. "Jason, this is Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent."

"Nice to met you guys," Jason said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Wish we could say likewise," Conner said.

Jason smiled. "I'm sure that will change soon. Where is Tommy anyway?"

"He forgot the ice." Hayley sighed.

Jason shook his head. "Only Tommy would find a way to be late to his own party," Jason snorted.

"No kidding," Justin added.

"Dr. O? Late?" Kira blinked. "That's not like him."

Hayley, Jason, and Justin fell over laughing.

"He'll be late to his own wedding if I let him," Jason said. "He skipped his high school graduation, but he was late for both his college and grad school ceremonies."

Justin snorted. "He was late for my high school and college graduations too."

"This is the guy who wrote us tardy slips when we were late to class for Ranger Business," Conner said. "That he sent us on."

"Organizing stealth training before class is not an emergency, Conner," Tommy said as he came out of the back door with paper cups full of ice. "Who wants soda?"

"Are we going to have to tie a zillion ribbons and strings around your arm again, bro?"

"Jason!" Tommy quickly deposited the glasses on the picnic table and gave Jason a bear hug.

"I know it's just it's just Power Withdrawal and stress, but dude, you have to admit that was epic," Jason said.

"What was epic?" Ethan asked.

Dr. O sighed. "It's..."

"Exactly why you invited us over here, isn't it, Dr. O?" Kira asked, yes widening.

Dr. O sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Tommy gets forgetful when he's stressed," Jason said. "One time our teacher, Ms. Appleby, gave us an assignment to try to fix one of our flaws-- and we were all trying to help him out with the forgetting. One thing we tried was tying ribbons and strings all over his arm and wrist, all color coded."

"The only problem was I forgot what each string was for," Tommy said, blushing.

Hayley got up. "I'll go grab the burgers and dogs so you can play with fire while you're being embarrassed." She patted Tommy's arm.

"Thanks, I think."

"So," Jason said, rubbing his hands together. "What else do you want to know?"

Hayley came out, carrying several packages of meat, then grabbed a can of Diet Coke.

Trent grinned ferally. "How long have Hayley and Dr. O been dating?"

Hayley chocked on her drink, coughing.

Tommy handed her a napkin. "You okay?"

"I didn't know they knew," Hayley replied.

"I didn't," Conner said.

"I might've walked in on the two of you in the back of the Cyberspace once or twice, but you were a little too busy to notice me."

Hayley blushed, Tommy looked at the ground, and Jason shook with silent laughter. Justin... was really hard to read.

"And you didn't tell us?" Kira elbowed him in the ribs.

"I figured we'd hear after Dr. O..."

"For Pete's sake, if you're going to talk about my love life, call me Tommy."

"Fine, after Tommy wasn't our teacher anymore, but I was getting impatient," Trent said with a shrug.

"Do we want to ask what you walked in on them doing?" Conner asked.

Hayley chucked her napkin at him. "Behave, Conner."

"We met in college," Tommy said. "Trini--that's the original Yellow Ranger-- was her roommate freshmen year, and since we hadn't seen each other for a long time before school started, I visited her a lot. Well, that and because it was an excuse to see Hayley."

"And I thought Trent was pathetic," Conner said.

Trent gave him a (mostly) friendly shove.

"I thought that they were dating for awhile," Hayley said.

Dr. O blinked. "You never told me this. How long is awhile?"

"Pretty much until you walked into our room while Cam and Trini were kissing and declared that if Trini was busy maybe I'd like to go get ice cream without her," Hayley said.

Tommy turned pink and started breaking up the hamburger meat into patties.

"What did Trini say to that?" Jason asked.

"She threw a pillow at me and asked me what took me so damn long," Tommy said.

Ethan gaped. "And Dr. O was the one who I went to for advice on my date with Cassidy?"

"As I recall, you didn't ask me for advice; I just snuck in while invisible and saved the day from becoming a total disaster." Tommy slung the burgers onto the grill. "I've upped my game, clearly, as Hayley and I are still together."

"Or Hayley is just really, really patient," Kira said.

Tommy shook a spatula at her. "Don't you start."

Hayley gave Tommy a peck on the cheek. "You're fine."

"I didn't think we were going to bring up all my most embarrassing moments," Tommy said.

"Wasn't that the point?" Kira asked. "So that we could see you as a person, I mean."

Tommy rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it is."

"You suppose?" Jason asked. "Why invite me and Justin, then?"

"I seem to recall you inviting yourselves," Tommy said. "Don't forget I have a lot of dirt on you too, bro."

"Brainwashing."

The four teenagers groaned.

"We've all heard that one," Conner said.

"I've heard it more than the rest of you," Trent put in.

"Rita or Gasket?" Jason asked.

"Who's Gasket?" Trent asked. "We've only ever heard the Rita story."

Jason turned to Tommy. "Seriously?"

'I didn't want them pulling any stunts like Katherine's."

"It worked," Jason said. "And I did it too."

"It was Kat's idea," Tommy said. "Not that it was very smart on either of your parts."

"I'd do it again," Jason said.

"That's what worries me," Tommy replied.

"I don't think I've heard this one either," Justin said, "and I think I'd like to."

Jason grinned. "Get settled guys, it's kind of a long story."

End


End file.
